In conventional line scanners an input page, for example, is read line by line. Each line scanned is collected by a lens and projected into a linear array typically a CCD. The linear array is much smaller than the line, typically 1.0-2.5 inches for a scan line of 8.5 inches. Resolution, an important aspect of any scanner, depends on the number of pixels in the linear array and this in turn depends on the size of the pixels. There is a practical limit to pixel size. In order to improve resolution the pixels are made smaller and smaller. But at some point the pixels become so small that their light collecting ability suffers. The output signal is too small. The pixel size limit is presently believed to be approximately 5.mu.. The other approach to improve resolution, having reached the minimum pixel size, is to increase the number of pixels by increasing the length of the linear array. Increasing the length of the array enlarges the size of the final component and increases the cost of both the component and the overall system. In present CCD implementations the CCD pixels are not readily compatible with on-chip peripheral circuitry and CCD arrays must be read out sequentially in their entirety.